[billybudd]

Yes, there are no domestic dissident groups, so there will be no domestic political force to defend the interests of the country. The country's assets will be cannibalized and transfered into the custody of US and European companies. This is very similar to what happened in Eastern Europe and Russia after the collapse of the Soviet bloc under the guise of "privatization".
I assume the exiles you refer to are those guys living it up in London and calling themselves the "Iraqi National Congress". They will not work for the interests of the people of Iraq because they have no domestic political support or connections. They will work to advance their own interests, as has always happened with puppet governments.
It is tempting to view such a venture as some sort of humanitarian mission conducted by one individual (Uncle Sam), who is fair and honest, instead of the reality of a frenzied competition between factions and interests with no regard for anyone's well-being but their own.
The CIA might stabilize the country through the usual bribe networks. This may eventually lead to a truly free, democratic system (and I don't mean what passes for "democracy" in Afghanistan). But it's also possible the situation could be bungled because it's not nearly as simple as with Afghanistan. There are both internal and external challenges that have to be dealt with, during the war and after the war. I guess we'll see what happens.

[arete]

"Iraqi National Congress".

Yes, I think that is the puppet group of choice right now. The whole operation has been planned right down to who gets how much of the oil. The Iraqi people will have no say in how the country's natural resources are used. The coming war with Iraq has little to do with terrorism and everything to do with oil.

Richard W.